The present invention relates to a game program supply system supplying data of game programs of a plurality of terminal stations from a host station for writing the data in portable information storage media applied to game execution units in response to requests in the terminal stations, and a program rewrite system suitable for this game program supply system.
In case of supplying data (the so-called game software) of game programs for executing games in game machines or personal computers in a game-on-demand manner, it is conceivable to construct a system connecting a host station and a plurality of terminal stations with each other through a network of public lines or dedicated lines so that the terminal station sides present requests for data to the host station and the host station provides the data to the terminal stations making the requests each time fully in response to the requests.
In case of considering such case that a number of terminal stations simultaneously present requests to the host station in such a system, however, there arises such a problem that the terminal station sides cannot download the data from the host station side due to restriction of the line number, unless the line number of the public lines or dedicated lines is prepared in a number having a possibility of simultaneously presenting requests for data to the host station.
Further, there is also such a problem that, even if a line number capable of responding to requests of a number of terminal stations is ensured, the host station must simultaneously return responses to the respective terminal stations making the requests independently of each other when such requests concentrate, improvement of the throughput of the host station is required as the number of the terminal stations increases, and the data throughput required to the host station remarkably increases depending on the terminal station number and the line number.
The present invention has been proposed in order to solve the aforementioned problems, and aims at providing a game program supply system which can construct a game-on-demand system including a number of terminal stations with no excess of requirement to equipment of a network or data throughput of a host station, and a program rewrite system suitable for this game program supply system.
A game program supply system of a first invention comprises a host station which is a supplier of data of a game program and a plurality of terminal stations which are connected to the host station through a communication network to be supplied with the data of the game program from the host station through the communication network online while being separately supplied with the data of the game program offline too, and each of the plurality of terminal stations is formed to comprise readable/writable first storage means preserving the data of the data program online-supplied from the host station through the communication network, read-only second storage means to be separately supplied with the data of the game program offline, and write means writing the data of the game program stored in the first or second storage means into a portable information storage medium applied to a game execution unit.
A game program supply system of a second invention is so formed that writing preservation of the data with respect to the first storage means is managed by the host station.
A game program supply system of a third invention is so formed that the communication network includes a satellite communication network and a ground communication network, so that the host station supplies encrypted data of the game program to the terminal stations through the satellite communication network while supplying key information for decrypting the cryptogram through the ground communication network.
A game program supply system of a fourth invention comprises a POS system having a plurality of POS terminals and a game program data rewrite machine connected to each of the plurality of POS terminals, and the game program data rewrite machine is formed to comprise storage means for storing data of a game program, and write means writing the data of the game program stored in the storage means into a portable information storage medium applied to a game execution unit.
A game program supply system of a fifth invention is a game program supply system supplying data of a game program by a game program data rewrite machine, wherein the game program data rewrite machine comprises storage means for storing the data of the game program and write means writing the data of the game program stored in the storage means into a game cassette which is a portable information storage medium applied to a game execution unit, the game program includes game programs of a plurality of types of specifications responsive to the specification of the game cassette, and the information storage medium is formed to comprise specification selecting means in which operations responsive to the plurality of types of specifications are previously defined for implementing a specification suitable to the game program by executing the operation responsive to the written game program.
A game program supply system of a sixth invention is a game program supply system for supplying data of a game program by a game program data rewrite machine, wherein the game program data rewrite machine comprises storage means for storing the data of the game program, and write means writing the data of the game program stored in the storage means into a game cassette which is a portable information storage medium applied to a game execution unit, and the game cassette is formed to comprise a flash memory rewritably storing the game program, and an interface authorizing access between the flash memory and, the game program data rewrite machine and the game execution unit.
In a game program supply system of a seventh invention, the interface is formed to comprise a first interface dedicated to the game program data rewrite machine authorizing access between the flash memory and the game program rewrite machine, and a second interface dedicated to the game execution unit authorizing access between the flash memory and the game execution unit.
In a game program supply system of an eighth invention, the game cassette further comprises a security circuit provided between the flash memory and the first interface, and the security circuit is so formed as to store a previously determined key value specific to the game program data supplied from the game program data rewrite machine in advance of supply of the game program data to be rewritten in case of rewriting the data of the flash memory by the game program data rewrite machine, for performing a prescribed operation on the game program data thereafter supplied and authorizing writing of the game program data into the flash memory only when the value of the operation coincides with the key value.
A program rewrite system of a ninth invention is a system of rewriting data of a program into a rewrite medium which is a portable information storage medium by a rewrite machine, wherein the rewrite medium comprises a semiconductor memory rewritably storing the data of the program, a memory control part controlling an operation of the semiconductor memory, and a first operation circuit, the program data rewrite machine comprises a storage medium for storing the data of the program, write means writing the data of the program stored into the storage medium in the rewrite medium, a second operation circuit, and data set means, the data set means inputs common data into the first and second operation circuits in case of connecting the rewrite medium to the rewrite machine for performing rewriting of the program, and the memory control part is formed to authorize writing into the semiconductor memory only when data of operation results of the first and second operation circuits are identical to each other.
In a program rewrite system of a tenth invention, the memory control part is so formed as to authorize writing into the semiconductor memory only in relation to writing from the memory control part while writing prescribed data into the semiconductor memory when the data of the operation results of the first and second operation circuits are identical to each other, and to authorize writing from the rewrite machine into the semiconductor memory only when coincidence is obtained as a result of reading the data from the semiconductor memory and comparing these data with each other.
A program rewrite system of an eleventh invention is a program rewrite system rewriting data of a program into a rewrite medium which is a portable information storage medium by a rewrite machine, wherein the rewrite medium comprises a semiconductor memory rewritably storing the data of the program, and a memory control part controlling an operation of the semiconductor memory, and the memory control part is formed to transit among a plurality of operation modes including a mode authorizing writing with respect to the semiconductor memory and a mode inhibiting the same.
In a program rewrite system of a twelfth invention, the rewrite medium further comprises an operation circuit and a comparator, the operation circuit executes an operation with respect to the data sent from the rewrite machine, the comparator performs comparison between data of an operation result of the operation circuit and another data sent from the rewrite machine, the plurality of operation modes are first to fourth operation modes, the memory control part first enters the first operation mode when the rewrite medium is connected to the rewrite machine for inhibiting writing into the semiconductor memory in the first operation mode, and transits to the second operation mode when the two data compared by the comparator do not coincide with each other for transiting to the third operation mode when the same coincide with each other, the memory control part stops its operation while inhibiting writing into the semiconductor memory in the second operation mode, the memory control part authorizes writing into the semiconductor memory only in relation to writing from the memory control part in the third operation while writing prescribed data into the semiconductor memory, further reading data, transiting to the second operation mode if these data do not coincide with each other or transiting to the fourth operation mode when the same coincide with each other, and the memory control part is formed to authorize writing from the rewrite machine into the semiconductor memory in the fourth operation mode.
According to the game program supply system of the first invention, the data of the game program are subjected to supply of two systems of online and offline ones, whereby the data can be mobily supplied at any time and the system is also suitable for preservation of mass data at the terminal stations, and this is a system writing the data of the game program into information storage media for game execution at the terminal stations in response to requests from users, whereby requirement to equipment of the communication network or the data throughput of the host station does not become excessive even if a number of terminal stations are included, and it is possible to construct a game program supply system which can supply the data of the game program to the users on demand.
According to the game program supply system of the second invention, the contents of writing preservation control to be performed by the host station may be identical for any terminal station, whereby there is such an effect that the load of the host station is not in the least influenced even if the number of the terminal stations increases particularly when simultaneous broadcast communication is employed.
According to the game program supply system of the third invention, it is possible to bring encrypted data of the game program into simultaneous broadcast communication to a number of terminal stations through the satellite communication network without causing an unreceivable region, and a data theft preventing effect increases since the key information for decryption is sent through the hardly interceptable ground communication network.
According to the game program supply system of the fourth invention, there are such effects that it is possible to readily construct a security management system, it is possible to simplify the operation of the game program data rewrite machine for facilitating its skill, and that, as to construction of the overall system, this is implementable at a low cost.
According to the game program supply system of the fifth invention, there are such effects that, even if there exist game cassettes of various specifications depending on the type of the game or the like, it is possible to cope with the various specifications by simply preparing a game cassette of one specification applied to the game program data rewrite machine, and a system of high practicalness can be constructed.
According to the game program supply system of the sixth invention, there is such an effect that a game cassette capable of rewriting the game program can be readily structured.
According to the game program supply system of the seventh invention, there are such effects that it becomes possible to directly mount the game cassette to a generally existing game machine body through no mounting adapter, and a game program supply system employing a rewritable game cassette can be economically constructed without requiring additional component purchase to the users.
According to the game program supply system of the eighth invention, there is such an effect that it is possible to prevent illegal rewriting having a game program data which is not legally supplied for rewriting as a rewrite source with respect to a rewritable game cassette.
According to the program rewrite system of the ninth invention, writing into the semiconductor memory is authorized only when operation results of two operation circuits coincide with each other, whereby writing of the program into the semiconductor memory becomes impossible when either the rewrite machine or the rewrite medium is not a legal apparatus. Namely, there is such an effect that illegal rewriting of the program data through a rewrite machine or a rewrite medium which is not legally supplied can be prevented.
According to the program rewrite system of the tenth invention, writing from the rewrite machine into the semiconductor memory is authorized only when writing and reading of prescribed data into and from the semiconductor memory are performed and these data coincide with each other, whereby there is such an effect that writing of the program into a faulty semiconductor memory can be prevented.
According to the program rewrite system of the eleventh invention, writing in the semiconductor memory is authorized or inhibited by transition of the memory control part among a plurality of operation modes. Therefore, such an effect can be attained that unexpected rewriting of the program can be prevented by properly setting conditions of transition.
According to the program rewrite system of the twelfth invention, the memory control part transits among the first to fourth operation modes, whereby there are such effects that illegal rewriting of the program data through a rewrite machine or a rewrite medium which is not legally supplied can be prevented while writing of the program into a faulty semiconductor memory can also be prevented.